This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7 119 from an application entitled COMPUTER SYSTEM HAVING THE FUNCTION OF EMOTE WAKING UP AND METHOD FOR REMOTE WANG UP THE COMPUTER SYSTEM earlier filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on the 5th day of March 1998, and there duly assigned Ser. No. 98-7318, a copy of which is annexed hereto.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a computer system, and more particularly to a computer system having a remote wake-up function and to a remote wake-up method of the computer system.
2. Related Art
Computer systems are information handling systems that are utilized by many individuals and businesses today. A computer system can be defined as a microcomputer that includes a central processing unit (CPU), a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory such as read only memory (ROM), a display monitor, a keyboard, a mouse or other input device such as a trackball, a floppy diskette s drive, a compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM) drive, a modem, a hard disk storage device, and a printer. A computer system""s main board, which is a printed circuit board known as a motherboard, is used to electrically connect these components together. A computer system can be a desktop computer, a portable computer such as a notebook computer or palm-sized computer, or other type of computer.
The central processing unit is often described as a microprocessor. The microprocessor is an electronic component having internal logic circuitry handling most, if not all, the data processing in the computer system. The internal logic circuitry of microprocessors is typically divided into three functional parts known as the input/output (I/O) unit, the control unit, and the arithmetic-logic unit (ALU). These three functional parts interact together and determine the power and performance of the microprocessor. The combination of the control unit and the arithmetic-logic unit can be referred to as the central processing unit. Also, the combination of the input/output unit, the control unit, and the arithmetic-logic unit can be referred to as the central processing unit.
One example of non-volatile memory is read only memory (ROM). Information stored in non-volatile memory can remain unchanged even when there is a power failure. The information stored in non-volatile memory will stay there until it is changed. Read only memory is used to store important information such as instructions for the central processing unit. There are different types s of read only memory including electrically-erasable-programmable-read-only-memory (EEPROM) chip and flash-read-only-memory (flash-ROM). The flash-ROM can also be referred to as flash memory.
Computer systems include a basic input output system (BIOS) which is an especially important program stored in read only memory. The basic input output system tests a computer every time the computer is powered on. The basic input output system can allocate a computer system""s resources automatically, making adjustments needed to accommodate new hardware. Also, the basic input output system governs how system board components interact.
When the computer system is powered on, the basic input output system immediately takes control of the computer system and its components. The first duty of the basic input output system is to perform a series of diagnostic routines called the power on self test (POST) routine, which ensures that every part of the computer system""s hardware is functioning properly. An operating system is a group of functions that are used for operating the computer system after the power on self test routine is performed. Microsoft Windows 98 is one example of an operating system.
A plurality of computer systems can be connected by a network. One or more of the plurality of computer systems connected by the network can be a supervisory computer system. Each one of the computer systems can include software programs. An operator can use the supervisory computer system to update the software programs of the other computer systems connected to the network. The update performed by the operator can be performed using the network itself.
I have discovered that a user with bad intentions may utilize a computer network to read confidential information stored in another computer connected to the network and also damage another computer system connected to the network. Efforts have been made to improve computers interconnected on networks and to improve the networks themselves.
Exemplars of recent efforts in the art include U.S. Pat. No. 5,864,683 for SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING SECURE INTERNETWORK BY CONNECTING TYPE ENFORCING SECURE COMPUTERS TO EXTERNAL NETWORK FOR LIMITING ACCESS TO DATA BASED ON USER AND PROCESS ACCESS RIGHTS issued to Boebert et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,828,833 for METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ALLOWING REMOTE PROCEDURE CALLS THROUGH A NETWORK FIREWALL issued to Belville et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,015 for METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SECURE REMOTE PROGRAMMING OF FIRMWARE AND CONFIGURATIONS OF FIRMWARE AND CONFIGURATIONS OF A COMPUTER OVER A NETWORK issued to Schmidt, U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,305 for SYSTEM FOR REMOTELY WAKING A SLEEPING COMPUTER IN POWER DOWN STATE BY COMPARING INCOMING PACKET TO THE LIST OF PACKETS STORING ON NETWORK INTERFACE CARK issued to McKaughan et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,5777,209 for APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING MULTI-LEVEL SECURITY FOR COMMUNICATION AMONG COMPUTERS AND TERMINALS ON A NETWORK issued to Boyle et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,009 for METHOD OF REMOTELY INSTALLING SOFTWARE DIRECTLY FROM A CENTRAL COMPUTER issued to Platt.
While these recent efforts provide advantages, I note that they fail to adequately provide a computer system having remote wake-up function and remote wake-up method thereof.
To solve the above problems, objectives of the present invention are to provide a computer system having a remote wake-up function, which is awoken only by a magic packet transmitted by an authorized supervisor system, and to provide a remote wake-up method thereof.
According to an aspect of the objectives of the present invention, there is provided a computer system connected to a network having a remote wake-up function, comprising a network connection portion including a transformer, a physical layer portion and a network controller, wherein the network connection portion further comprises: a network information storage portion for storing network information including a network address and a password; and a magic packet controller for receiving a magic packet via the physical layer portion, comparing a network address and a password which are contained in the magic packet, with the network address and the password stored in the network information storage portion, and generating a wake-up control signal to transfer to a power management unit of the computer system only when the compared network addresses and passwords are the same each other, and the computer system suspended is booted by the wake-up control signal.
According to another aspect of the objective of the present invention, there is provided a method for remotely waking up a computer system connected to a network, comprising the steps of: (a) receiving a magic packet via the network; (b) identifying a network address contained in the magic packet; (c) identifying a password contained in the magic packet; (d) generating a wake-up control signal; and (e) booting the computer system by a basic input/output system (BIOS), wherein the waking-up on the computer system stops when the network address and the password are not identified in the steps (b) and (c).
Also, there is provided a method for remotely waking up a computer system connected to a network, comprising the steps of: (a) receiving a magic packet via a network; (b) identifying a network address contained in the magic packet; (c) performing a power on self test (POST) by a basic input/output system (BIOS); (d) transferring an identification request packet to a supervisor system identified based on the network address contained in the magic packet; (e) receiving an identification packet from the supervisor system; (f) identifying the identification packet; and (g) loading an operating system for operating the computer system, wherein the waking-up on the computer system stops when the network address and the identification packet are not identified in the steps (b) and (f).
To achieve these and other objects in accordance with the principles of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the present invention provides an apparatus, comprising: a computer system processing first data when said computer system is in a first mode corresponding to a full power mode, said computer system not processing the first data when said computer system is in a second mode not corresponding to said full power mode; a storage unit storing a first address and a first password; and a control unit being coupled to said storage unit and said computer system, said control unit receiving a packet signal including a second address and a second password, comparing said first address and said first password with said second address and said second password respectively, and generating a control signal when said first address corresponds to said second address and said first password corresponds to said second password, said computer system being booted and converted to said first mode from said second mode in response to said control signal.
To achieve these and other objects in accordance with the principles of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the present invention provides a method, comprising: receiving a packet signal via a network unit, said network unit being coupled to a first computer system and a second computer system; determining whether a first network address contained in said packet signal corresponds to a predetermined address; determining whether a first password contained in said packet signal corresponds to a predetermined password; generating a control signal when said first network address and said first password correspond to said predetermined address and said predetermined password respectively; and booting said first computer system by a basic input output system in response to said control signal.
To achieve these and other objects in accordance with the principles of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the present invention provides a method, comprising: receiving a packet signal via a network unit, said network unit being coupled to at least a first computer system; detecting whether a first network address contained in said packet signal corresponds to a predetermined address; when said first network address corresponds to said predetermined address, performing a power on self test on said first computer system by a basic input output system; transmitting an identification request signal to a second computer system, said second computer system corresponding to said first network address contained in said packet signal; receiving an identification packet signal from said second computer system in response to said identification request signal; determining whether said identification packet signal corresponds to a predetermined identification code; and when said identification packet signal corresponds to said predetermined identification code, loading an operating system for operating said first computer system.
The present invention is more specifically described in the following paragraphs by reference to the drawings attached only by way of example. Other advantages and features will become apparent from the following description and from the claims.